188
Aryal En Hong Kong's the Lept 184
In returning to you the letter of the Secretary, addressed to the Secretary of State for the Colonies having reference to the engagement of R. E. Offin Illucks of tank, in private practice, which you have so kindly permitted me to peruse, I would beg to be permitted to make the following remarks:-
With reference to the former part of Para 4, which states that Clerks of Works are allowed the privilege of private practice as Architects, whilst "holding appointments, and receiving pay from ... penal funds, and thus from their number monopolize in great part, the professional documents incident to the requirements of this Colony," I beg to submit that these statements are not exactly in accordance with the fact of the matter. As for nearly the whole of the time which Messrs Storey and his Son have been in the Colony, there have been but two Clerks of Works at Hong Kong, in the receipt of Imperial pay. And the very limited private practice they have had cannot be said to have monopolized in part, or in any way, have affected the practice of Messrs Storey & Son.
Doubtless the remarks are really levelled at Mr. Rawling (Clerk of Works) whose extensive private practice has no doubt interfered with the interests of Messrs Storey & Son, but of which practice they can have no proper cause for complaint for the following reasons:- In the year 1860, Royal Engineers...